Hi all!!
Time to think about getting out and photographing spider webs out in the fields. It's that time of year again. Best time is now until early To mid September.
This is probably the best time of year to photograph the webs of field spiders.
The grass is knee high or better, mornings are nice and dewey and the sun is coming up at a reasonable hour.
The recipe:
Find yourself a nice meadow or field with knee high grass. Maybe the fringes of a local park?
Be there before the sun comes over the horizon and hang around for as long as the backlighting stays interesting.
Start on the west side of the field facing towards the rising sun and walk along the edge.
The combination of backlighting and dew will help the webs stand out.
Be careful not to accidentally crush any as you approach. It is amazing that sometimes supporting web strands can be attached to grass and twigs as much as a couple of feet from the web itself. Leave things so you or someone else can come back again and take more photos another day.
I find that a short telephoto (80-200), of course on a tripod set at thigh-hight, is very effective.
Try different apertures to play with depth-of-field and blurred backgrounds.
Yes, you will get wet but what the heck.
You may also find other added bonuses for future trips. Today in the field I was scouting I also found a lot of milkweed and Queen Anne's Lace. Not bad for the investment of a half hour on the way to get coffee.
Best
Bob Bicknell